women's 'H block'.
them. 9.20pm Friday THE boat leaves Liverpool docks. There are women from many student from Manchester, and Birmingham Sussex Unlyersity, Bradford, and Leeds. Gay women are prominent among them.
Many are quite young. Some are revolutionary feminists, socialist feminists. The delegation is broadly representative of the British women's movement.
Belfast 7am Saturday WE pile off the boat to be welcomed demonstration Women's Day last year and a member of Peoples Democracy.
We are driven through Belfast. The city is deserted apart from a couple of soldiers at a security check barbed wire around them, windows are broken or boarded up; SOlIC buildings have wire around them. Many are demolished. There are few new buildings. This really is an occupied town. 12pm Saturday WE arrive at Sinn Fein headquarters in the Falls Road. There are boulders in front it it, apparently to stop cars stopping to throw bombs. taxis' drive up and down the street they are the only form of public transport in this area of the Loads of people pile in; a ride is only 20p.
Sinn Fein's headquarters are very busy. Women control, organising the stewarding. The men are playing a backseat role, belping by testing out loudspeakers. 1.30pm Saturday SIX coaches full of move off. We are told that if we are stopped we should give the army Sacialist Challenge 13 March 1980 The stewards Coventry Polytechnics, in protest.
London, some woleh are others are brutal than the men.
2.30pm Protestants are hanging around.
yards. many 'Peoples' city.
much people finally women prisoners politely nothing but our names and addresses.
meeting has decided that if we are stopped for over half an hour we will sit down across the road She No-one disagrees with this, but quite nervous. woman from Belfast points out that the women in the army are often more WE arrive at Armagh jail. The RUC is waiting for us to arrive and a few leave the coachés and march for a few Male wardens from Long Kesh have now been brought into Armagh to beat When we reach the jail we spread out across the road and the RUC for them. scuffles People were quite amazed by this but the KUC were behaving their best.
The chant goes up from Women Against 'What do want? justicel Torture!' The Sinn Fein contingent also kept on shouting for political Marie Maholland Against Imperialism makes a speech.
calls political explaining how the women were beaten by screws Kesh on 7 February this year due to their continued demands for political status. Now they are confined to their cells for 23 hours a day and are refused washing and toilet facilities. They are being refused adequate sanitary towels, are subjected freezing cold, and now they have no option but to begin a similar protest to the men in the H blocks , very throwing excrement on the walls back clearly had a special significance when women stood shoulder to shoulder with men in the struggle for national liberation in get? authorities made except to use women's sex against them.
Women Women Sheffield, Manchester expressed their solidarity They promised to return "1, 2, 3, door, 5, 6, 7, 8, Open up the Armagh Gate.' Doors were banged inside the jail and a roar went up. learnt that the women to cells where they would not hear the protest.
'SS, RUC, to popular chant. shock for the Protestant gathering in distance must have singing marching'.
But it was Republicanism that had the last word in song.
The female stewards had some difficulty in restraining the Armagh youth, both male and female, from going and. taking population on singlehanded. 11.30pm Andersonstown THE community Andersonstown is packed. seen a play about Armagh Marie Maholland points out how great it 15 lo see so many women. but she wishes that she had seen us ten years before. She receives a massive roar of approval.
murphy community centre THE room is packed with women only women. An place between a Protestant 'socialist feminist' and The Protestant women is pointed out, their poverty should be understood. But it is pointed out that they do not have the continual harassment of the army to suffer as well as poverty.
One woman explains how when Protestant support the Armagh picket they said:
Women's Day in Antrim Feminism The prison distinctions Dublin, rating with it. and London Anne with their 4, Open up the H Block Later moved the concrete focus SS, RUC' is another 4pm Sunday But the most amazing been the 'Women's army member campaign. the Protestant April Southern centre in We have on trial at all.
them!
BallyMarket Social argument takes for coming 'Women Against of them explains: plight is time go.
were asked to 'But they're terrorists".
Marie O'Brien, a Protestant living and a member of PD, how the effects everything and everyone in Ireland.
has tackle the imperialist issue if it is to build itself among the mass of women. Women can't avoid choosing the side of those fighting imperialism or those collaboSpeed, Dublin and PD, explained that: "This is the most heartening event for Irish feminists in the last ten years.' The solidarity that feminists had shown with women in Armagh pointed a way forward for Irish both North and South to unite around a - Armagh - and to unite anti-imperialism with feminism.
WHEN it came to concrete proposals there were tons. Pauline Roc, an IMG on the executive, explained that, despite censorship by the NUS leaders of her mailings to women students, she was still going to make this a priority and fight for official support and resources to the A tribunal is to take place on 9 prominent British and women acting judges. The Armagh 11 have decided to boycott the court that day as they do not see that they should have to be A delegation is planned to visit Armagh Prison and investigate the conditions — if the North of Ireland authorities dare to let women AS we leave the Republican pub to catch the boat men two men thank us and ask us • LU 'You've had an amazing impact', one 5pm Monday Euston station ALL we can think is that we are lucky not to have to live in Belfast. It really — Britain's last colony must Women Against Imperialism, c/o 52 Broadway, Belfast 12. Pauline Roe can be contacted at NUS in London.
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TWO hundred and fifty British feminists went to Belfast last weekend, on International Women's Day, to show their solidarity with the prisoners in Armagh jail - the VALERIE COULTAS and PAULINE ROE were among
Sunday morning,